Did eating less fat and more veggies stop heart attacks?
Low-Fat Dietary Pattern and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Despite significant reductions in LDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure, there was no reduction in coronary heart disease, stroke, or composite cardiovascular disease.
For decades, lowering LDL and blood pressure has been the gold standard for preventing heart disease. This study shows that even when those markers improve, the actual disease outcomes may not follow — challenging a core assumption in preventive cardiology.
Practical Takeaways
If you're a postmenopausal woman focused on heart health, don't rely solely on eating more veggies and cutting fat — consider other proven strategies like exercise, blood pressure control, or statins if recommended.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Despite significant reductions in LDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure, there was no reduction in coronary heart disease, stroke, or composite cardiovascular disease.
For decades, lowering LDL and blood pressure has been the gold standard for preventing heart disease. This study shows that even when those markers improve, the actual disease outcomes may not follow — challenging a core assumption in preventive cardiology.
Practical Takeaways
If you're a postmenopausal woman focused on heart health, don't rely solely on eating more veggies and cutting fat — consider other proven strategies like exercise, blood pressure control, or statins if recommended.
Publication
Journal
JAMA
Year
2006
Authors
Barbara V. Howard, Linda Van Horn, Judith Hsia, JoAnn E. Manson, Marcia L. Stefanick, Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Lewis H. Kuller, Andrea Z. LaCroix, Robert D. Langer, Norman L. Lasser, Cora E. Lewis, Marian C. Limacher, Karen L. Margolis, W. Jerry Mysiw, Judith K. Ockene, Linda M. Parker, Michael G. Perri, Lawrence Phillips, Ross L. Prentice, John Robbins, Jacques E. Rossouw, Gloria E. Sarto, Irwin J. Schatz, Linda G. Snetselaar, Victor J. Stevens, Lesley F. Tinker, Maurizio Trevisan, Mara Z. Vitolins, Garnet L. Anderson, Annlouise R. Assaf, Tamsen Bassford, Shirley A. A. Beresford, Henry R. Black, Robert L. Brunner, Robert G. Brzyski, Bette Caan, Rowan T. Chlebowski, Margery Gass, Iris Granek, Philip Greenland, Jennifer Hays, David Heber, Gerardo Heiss, Susan L. Hendrix, F. Allan Hubbell, Karen C. Johnson, Jane Morley Kotchen
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Claims (10)
When postmenopausal women ate less fat and more veggies and fruit, their bad cholesterol, blood pressure, and a blood clotting factor all went down a little — and those changes were real, not just by chance.
Eating more veggies, fruits, and whole grains while cutting back on fat didn’t make much of a difference in reducing heart disease risk for women after menopause—so we might need smarter or more specific diets to really help.
Women after menopause who eat less bad fats and more veggies and fruits might have a lower risk of heart disease, but the data isn’t strong enough to say for sure.
Eating less fat and more veggies, fruits, and grains didn’t help postmenopausal women avoid heart attacks, strokes, or other heart problems over more than 8 years.
For women after menopause, eating a bit more veggies, fruits, and whole grains didn’t lower their risk of heart attacks or strokes, even though their bad cholesterol and blood pressure got a little better.